A strategic plan for the city of Athens

Course: Cultural Marketing | City brandingProf: Betty Tsakarestou

Team: AnagnostakiEva MavrikiRania RizouAnastasia

““What we’re missing, us Greeks, is a bit of practicality and a bit of poetry in our daily

lives, the two extremes that lead to the ultimate balance. We are prosaic and

fantasists at the same time. Prosaic in our fantasies and fantasists in our

businesses”

Karagatsis

“

Who we are

The challenge

Cultural city managers a team of young creatives who aim at transforming the city, through its cultural assets

o Athens’ image is stuck to the pasto Its quality of life is getting worse o Political and social distrusto Its citizens are losing their self-beliefo Lack of urban cohesion

to reconstruct the image of the City through a novel strategy that focuses on the unique cultural traits of Athens, with the citizen’s engagement

“Life in Athens” based on Google images search

“Life in Berlin”based on Google images search

““Crisis keeps us awake, we are more aware now”

Alison, founder of The Meet Market

“

Target groups & goals

1. Athenians Goals\

o Invest on their creative spirito Build their self-esteem o Overcome the established belief that they

cannot “hack’ the systemo Collaborate with local groups

2.Local stakeholders, including: municipal authorities, media, cultural institutions, creative industry, real estate

Goals\o Motivate them to reinvent Athens and its brand

imageo Discover a contemporary face for the city,

without focusing only on the Acropolis and the folklore traditions.

o Involve the local community to their activities and together shape the image of their city

3.Visitors- Students Goal: to invite them for quality studies in a diverse and fun environment, where they can mingle with the locals and experience a value-for-money student life

- Young creatives Goal: to live in a city where major changes occur, new creative ideas pop up and there is a lot of space for experimentation and new approaches

- Tourists Goal: to experience the cultural heritage of Greece and at the same time experience the changing face of a metropolis that is located n the middle of two worlds

“ “Greece is something between

first world lux and third world

chaos”

Alison, founder of The Meet Market

“

4.InvestorsGoalEncourage investors to remap Athens as a space with potential for investments, thanks to innovative ideas that if implemented could boost the creative economy a perfect time and place to set an

experiment in order to see if “Culture-Led Urban regeneration” can occur

What’s up with Athens?

Our methodological approach

Mindmap

Putting Athens in the centre of our mindmap, we visually represented what Athens means to us

Methodological toolsInterviews

- Evangelia Koutsovoulou | Founder of Daphnis and Chloe | Culinary herb company

- Argyro Barata & Niki Vouimta | Founders of FEAST | Live Crowdunding Events

- Dimitra Paraskevopoulou | Founder of Ava’s Farm | Online marketplace of Greek products

- Alison Damianos | Founder of The Meet Market | Nomadic marketplace

Our mindmap

Our focusFood → export unique greek products and food culture

Grassroots movements → foster cohesion and collaborative culture

Culture & Heritage → develop innovative and synergistic mindset, promote the contemporary artistic scene

Tourism → point out the diverse and multifaceted touristic offer

Public space → reuse and mixed-use approach, transforming the public to common space

Our values

Strategy General concept

Athens is a charming city with great history, great food, creative and open people, good weather and a diverse social nexus. Nevertheless, Athens is not the new Berlin, either Amsterdam

or Paris. In order to reinvent itself, Athens should and can “hack” crisis and redefine its assets, by using its citizens’

creativity and co-creating innovative structures and models.

“Live the city as a citizen”

“ ““I would like Athens to take care of

Athens”Evangelia, Founder of Daphnis &

Chloe

“

FOOD

FOOD Idea 1: Food market with branded greek products*, located in an Athenian arcade Urban agenda (Amsterdam)* prerequisite to have a distribution channel abroad

Target groups:Visitors, Athenians

Goal Make Athens the main communication hub for local Greek producers in order to outreach to the world and set the mechanism for exports increase

Profit o Educate producers to become extrovert, accessible, reachable and

develop unique brandso Let Athenians and tourists experience the Greek products and

motivate them to adopt a healthy Mediterranean dieto Introduce an alternative use of public spaces

Communication strategy

~REXPERIENCE THE GREEK CUISINE ~

Channels: website, social media, digital ads, press, travel agencies, airport, hotels, touristic platforms Message:

Readopt the Mediterranean cuisine, experience the Greek

food and take it home with you

FOOD Idea 2: Online storytelling platform about the experience of the local greek food – Locals vs. Foreigners

“Why should be feta used only in Greek salad?”

Target groupsAthenians, Visitors, Potential visitors

GoalRediscover the multi-use of Greek products and reverse the established belief of traditional eating habits.

Profito Reform the perception around Greek food cultureo Expand the marketo Involve the local community in an international dialogue

Communication strategy

~REXPERIENCE THE GREEK CUISINE ~

Channels: website, social media (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube), press releases, digital ads, press

Message:

Experience the Greek food as a local

CULTURE

CULTUREIdea 1: White night (International Museums Day 2016) video

GoalInitiate collaboration between established museums, while transforming the city into an open-air feast, where everyone is included

Target groupsAthenians, Local stakeholders, Visitors

Profito Cultivate an extrovert, collaborative mindset to the Athenian

museumso Acquaint and engage the Athenians and the tourists with the

cultural offer of the cityo Touristic attraction economic profito Promote community feeling and sense of belonging

Communication strategy

~REFRAME GREEK CULTURE~

Channels: website, social media, press

Message:

One night, one city, one feast

“ “I couldn’t find what I was looking

for, that’s why I built it myself”Alison, Founder of The Meet Market

“

CULTUREIdea 2: Museum trail

- As Athens lacks a “museum square” we propose a route connecting the museums in a historical/chronological continuum, guided by young experts.

Target groupsVisitors, Local stakeholders

GoalOffer an holistic and fresh perspective of the Greek cultural history

Profito Touristic attractiono Offer experience to young unemployed expertso Create a narrative linking the museums

Communication strategy

~REFRAME GREEK CULTURE~

Channels: website, social media, press, travel agencies, airport, museum communication managers

Message: A cultural time travel from ancient times to nowadays

CULTUREIdea 3: Theatre workshops in collaboration with international universities with theatre studies or professionals, in order for them to experience the theatre at its birthplace

Target groupsVisitors (students & young creatives), Local stakeholders

GoalOffer the opportunity to the international academic and professional community to experience theatre at its birthplace

Profito Cultivate an extrovert profile of the Greek theatreo Promote collaborations between Greek and international theatre

institutes

““We are ashamed of being exposed and ashamed of failing, that’s why we need to be more extrovert, to

reverse the situation”Niki & Argyro, Founders of Feast

“

Communication strategy

~ REFRAME GREEK CULTURE ~

Channels: website, social media, press, international universities with theatre study programs, ambassadors, theatre institutes

Message:

Experience the theatre at its birthplace

CULTUREIdea 4: Artists Residence for cultural exchange→ a one month experience at an Athenian residence, in order to bring together Greek artists with international ones, in order to exchange knowledge and ideas and co-create.

Target groupsGreeks (artistic scene), International artistic scene, Local stakeholders

GoalMake Athens a collaborative cultural hub

Profito Extroversiono Establish collaborationso Move away from the traditional image of Greek culture

Communication strategy

~ REFRAME GREEK CULTURE ~

Channels: website, social media, press, universities, cultural institutions, ambassadors

Message:

Be re-inspired by Athens, through a unique cultural exchange

GRASSROOTS MOVEMENTS

GRASSROOTS MOVEMENTSIdea: Neighborhood network

using the unique “filema” cultural trait as a motivation to start a dialogue between the local communities of a neighborhood.

Once a year, the neighborhood organizes a homemade food “festival” where everyone, both individual citizens and civic groups/grassroots movements gather to exchange ideas, express their needs, show their skills and communicate their vision/work, with the help of a more humanized version of the “Citizen Canvas”

Target groupsAthenians, Local stakeholders, Grassroots movements

GoalEmbrace co-existence and exploit crowd wisdom in the urban environment, starting with the concept of “filema”

Profito Enhance connectivity in an offline environment, the public spaceo Connect demand and supply in its social dimension

Communication strategy

~ RECONNECT ATHENS` ~

Channels: website, social media, press, physical presence and communication with the local community, word of mouth

Message:

Connect with your neighbors, reimagine your neighborhood and

collaboratively reshape it

PUBLIC SPACE

GRASSROOTS MOVEMENTSIdea : Creative placemaking

“In creative placemaking, public, private, not-for-profit, and community sectors partner to strategically shape the physical and social character of a neighborhood,

town, tribe, city, or region around arts and cultural activities.” mingle the creatives with the local community and the local stakeholders, co-creating a better public space.

Target groupsAthenians, Local stakeholders, Visitors

GoalTransform the public to common space, towards a new urban thinking

Profito Enhance the common spaceo Hack the urban challengeso Foster cohesion and sense of belonging o Develop a neighborhood branding approach

Communication strategy

~ REIMAGINE ATHENS ~

Channels: communication with the local community, local stakeholders and potential investors, website and social media

Message:

Hack the challenges of your city, by co-creating a better common space

TOURISM

TOURISM

A new approach of touristic promotion of Athens pops up?

Our Campaign goalAthens has already established its touristic fame, so we propose an

alternative communication strategy to show its multifaceted character, rather than its mythical dimension.

Target groupsStudents, Young creatives & Tourists

Communication strategy {For students}

~ REMAP ATHENS ~

Athens as an ideal student city

- Great and diverse nightlife- Lively city, you never get bored- Low-cost rentals- Good weather all year long- Ideal location for w.e. trips ex. to Greek

islands

Channels: social media, student blogs, universities’ international offices

Message: Live the student experience in a city with great food, weather, entertainment, always awake and friendly

Communication strategy {For young creatives}

~ REMAP ATHENS ~

Athens as a city for experimentation|The greek crisis has resulted in a more creative mindset where challenges are transformed into opportunities|

Channels: international institutions, ambassadors, social media, hubs

Message:

Visit Athens to interact with the local creative scene and share knowledge and

ideas.

Communication strategy {For tourists}

~ REMAP ATHENS ~

Athens as a serendipitous city

Channels: 360-degree marketing approach, transmedia storytelling+ Creative postcards

Message:

Rediscover Athens as a serendipitous city that offers you tailor-made experiences.

Postcards from Athens

Greetings from Athens!

Greetings from Athens!

Greetings from Athens!

“Quiz” campaign

“Quiz” campaign

“Quiz” campaign

“Quiz” campaign

To sum it up!In order to form a city branding which is not imaginary but based on original and honest values, we first need to focus on the social nexus and let the local identity

emerge, through co-creation.{In order to reinvent Athens, we need to reinvent

ourselves}

Credits• Evangelia Koutsovoulou | Founder of

Daphnis and Chloe• Argyro Barata & Niki Vouimta | Founders of

FEAST• Dimitra Paraskevopoulou | Founder of Ava’s

Farm• Alison Damianos | Founder of The Meet

Market

• www.drichard.org/mindmaps• www.worditout.com• urbanagenda.nl/• www.youtube.com• www.monopoli.gr

thanks!ANY

QUESTIONS?